Aberration
by GaleSynch
Summary: AU, What if instead of drifting to Razril, Lazlo ended up in Falena? His existence there set off a chain of events diverting from the game.
1. Chapter 1

**Series:** Suikoden V crossover with Suikoden IV  
**Prompt/Theme:** Life.  
**Chapter Summary: **AU, Life was precious and so were they, to Lazlo anyway. Part 11/100.  
**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything you recognize.  
**Rating: **T  
**Genre: **Family/Friendship/Tragedy/Angst.  
**Pairings(however vague and implied): **None.  
**Warning: **Crossover.**  
**

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**Part I of V**

Lazlo, that was his name - no last name, but that wasn't uncommon. In a world of assassins, family and names meant nothing. But to Lazlo, curious and resourceful and lively and wise, Lazlo, found himself wondering and questioning. He'd asked one of the nicer - nicer didn't mean they were nice by standards of society - caretakers and they said they found him in the Shipyard Grave, on a newly wrecked ship filled with corpses of the sailors and in the arms of a dead woman.

His mother. He always wondered and he wanted to know how she had looked like but he'd never know because he came from another nation - he doubted he'd be returning anytime soon - and the assassins who found him died on a mission.

Life was so fragile - in many forms.

Lazlo turned his ever alert eyes to the young toddler, a few years younger than his five years old. His new bunk-mate didn't seem older than nine months old but then he could be small. The assassins called him Michafute but Lazlo called the boy Dolph - short for Dolphin which was the plush he kept holding onto.

He caressed the boy's soft cheeks, in this world he lived in with other kidnapped children trained to be assassins, nothing ever remained soft forever. "I'd keep you safe, I promise, just stay with me," he promised despite knowing that in the brutal world of assassins, promises and life meant nothing.

The next to join their little group of two was a girl - she was a crying, sobbing mess, wailing for her mother, her clothes torn and in rags covered by mud and blood. Lazlo instantly knew she was one of those kids kidnapped straight from a purged village or a small town with no security. The assassin grunted, throwing her into the room, nodding to Lazlo and slamming the door shut.

The girl ran towards it, trying to turn the door knob to get it to open but it didn't budge. She pounded on the door with surprising strength, crying.

Lazlo wrapped his arms around her, ignoring her struggling, and murmuring, "I'll keep you safe, I promise, so don't cry, we'll be together."

From behind them, nibbling on his dolphin plush toy, Dolph cracked a crooked grin.

Life was unfair - but it truly depends on the person saying this.

Mismar, the name of the new girl and his new foster sister, repeated this every single night - without fail. Dolph was far too young to have remembered his experience of a world outside this life of killing, Lazlo was the same so neither knew - though they tried their best to empathize - what was so unfair.

Dolph didn't care.

Lazlo wondered, as he always did, as curious as he was, and perhaps he surmised life was unfair to those that he'd killed. Life was okay to him, he had two siblings to protect, to cherish and love, he had a job and a purpose and as long as he had those, life was okay.

Even if it was spent in Nether Gate - and the reason for such a name wasn't so far from its namesake after all.

Life was fleeting - a lesson Lazlo taught Dolph and Mismar on the same day, in different ways.

The three had been in a group - they always were, bunk-mates were automatically grouped together and if you fail to work together, you die - and it was supposed to be a simple mission like those years before; they were supposed to ambush and cause distraction to a group of surveying knights.

The three children - thirteen, nine, six respectively - weren't alone, they were with other groups. Lazlo didn't know why they need so many people - assassins usually work in few numbers unless the enemy was powerful or it was war - and he felt unnerved, knowing so many people together meant that the chances of dying were higher.

He tapped the blunt edge of one of his twin blades, waiting with baited breath for their target. He glanced briefly at Dolph and Mismar and when the latter frowned, he smiled reassuringly. "Nothing would go wrong, I promise," he whispered, planting a kiss like a blessing on both children's head - Mismar who smiled and Doph who scowled.

He was wrong. His life slipped away, his promise broken, the moment he realized this was a suicide mission. They weren't meant to succeed nor were they meant to kill anybody, they were just decoy while the rest of Nether Gate ran from the enemies.

He wanted to scream for this friends - eccentric, powerful, weak, protective, insane; all different yet he loved them for it - to run. Most have the sense to do so even without his warning but Mismar disappeared, Dolph didn't run.

The younger boy approached him, eyes curious, seemingly in shock. "Lazlo?"

A strange, beeping sound and Lazlo, with the last shred of his energy, pulled himself to his feet and threw himself at Dolph, wrapping his arms around the boy and whispering empty promises, soothing words, "We won't die, I won't let you die, I promise," as the world around them exploded into splinters, uprooted trees and fireworks and blood.

When his vision cleared somewhat, the first thing he saw was Dolph's blank, shocked silver eyes. Then the pain registered in his torso, salty liquid trickled down his lips to his chin, and he smiled. "Didn't I promise you won't die?"

Trembling, the younger boy's hands reached up to cup his cheeks, something wet dropped onto his cheek before he register it was raining but somehow, he knew it wasn't a rain droplet.

Dolph, young as he was, still knew what death was and he knew what life was.

He didn't cry, his eyes burned as he turned Lazlo's listless body over so that the older boy was laying on his back. He was smiling and his face was peaceful and accomplished as if he'd won a victory over the world. With some effort, Dolph managed to drag the boy's body till it was in the river.

His body floated a moment before it started sinking.

Life was fleeting - Dolph knew this well now.

The young boy knew he could die too, anytime now, without Lazlo - strong, protective, powerful, gentle, brave - around him. He stumbled blindly in the woods, the explosion had eroded the earth and he knew not of where he was heading. Dolph did not expect to stumble into a warm body, to feel large and warm hands encircling him.

"You shouldn't have been here, child," Dolph stared up blankly into the gentle face of a man that later, he'd know to be Ferid, King of Falena. "I'll keep you safe, I promise, just stick with me!"

"Lazlo...?"

Life was formless - where will he find it?

**Part I of V - END.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Series:** Suikoden V crossover with Suikoden IV  
**Prompt/Theme:** Protector.  
**Chapter Summary: **AU, The young boy reminded him of Lazlo, it made him want to protect him. Part 12/100.  
**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything you recognize.  
**Rating: **T  
**Genre: **Family/Friendship/Tragedy/Angst.  
**Pairings(however vague and implied): **Prince x Dolph.  
**Warning: **Crossover, shonen-ai.**  
**

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**Part II of V**

All his life, Dolph was used to the dark, to the wild and woods and poverty. He wasn't used to a nice peasant house, much less a castle. He felt filthy, unworthy as he stepped in - forcefully hauled in the King himself - the palace. Dolph blinked the same time the boy's grin died to be replace by curious eyes.

Silver hair adorned the pretty androgynous child's head, falling past his cheeks and framing his head neatly. Light blue eyes - curious, knowledgeable and alert - studied Dolph but his eyes weren't like the Masters. They weren't assessing his worth of skills but was merely curious about his person, they were just like Lazlo's when they first met - and after that curious lookover, there were fondness and love.

"Dad, who's he?"

Oh, so this boy was the Prince. Dolph wondered what he should do, bow? - that was an act only to greet Higher Rank Masters - but this was the Prince. In the end, Dolph decided against acting because if bowing to the Prince when he didn't to the King, didn't it mean he regarded the King lowly?

"Well," Ferid rubbed the back of his head as he ushered the young boys in, nodding in greeting to the knights under his command, and knelt before his son, ruffling his fine head of silver hair, smooth like silk and the same as his mother's hair. "You'd have to ask him yourself, he won't tell me." At the end, the man pouted slightly.

The Prince tilted his head to the side in thought - much like Lazlo did and Dolph felt the strange urge to hug the boy - when he turned to Dolph and studied him some more. Abruptly, he threw his arms around him, pulling the taller boy into a hug. Dolph was stunned - no one, especially a stranger and not Lazlo or Mismar material - when the Prince hugged him.

"Wha - "

"You look sad." The innocent statement silenced Dolph, stunned, he could merely stood there was the knights and king became mere spectators. The silver-haired boy pulled back, smiling, "That's why I hugged you - Mommy said a hug makes me feel better every time!"

"Dolph," he said abruptly, rubbing his burning eyes to soothe it and it came down wet. "My name's Dolph, at your service, Your Highness."

Behind them, Ferid sighed theatrically, "So young and my son already seduced someone, man..."

Georg rolled his eyes at his friend's dramatics. "You were the same as he when you were his age."

"Man, I forget we were childhood friends."

"Thanks, maybe I should leave now then."

Ferid started whining then, and Georg sighed as they walked on in tow with the two young boys towards the Queen's Audience Chamber. Sometimes, Georg would wonder why he became a protector but every time he saw Ferid's grins and Arshtat's smiles, he knew why.

Bodyguard - a job to protect. And to protect one from danger, one must risk his life, one must kill.

Dolph was a suitable choice to be the Prince's bodyguard, companion and guide. He was used to killing and risking his own life. But protecting wasn't something he did on a daily basis. If protecting is to kill those who harm the Prince and his enemies, then so be it, Dolph was ready to get stronger.

The young boy reminded him of Lazlo, and for that alone, he'd protect him.

**Part II of V - END.**


End file.
